Flu bounce back and cold snap leave NHS facing a difficult winter

• There were 2,924 patients in hospital with flu on average each day last week, up from 2,676 the week before but much lower than the 5,407 reported last year.
• On average there were 432 adult beds closed due to patients in hospital with norovirus-like symptoms last week, up from 393.
• On average there were 652 beds occupied by covid-19 patients per day last week up from 607.
• On average, there were 4,079 beds closed or occupied due to Covid-19, flu, norovirus and paediatric RSV last week. This is up from 3,754 the previous week but much lower than the 7,360 reported last year.
• Some 12,688 beds on average each day were filled with patients no longer meeting the criteria to reside in hospital last week up from 11,494 the week before.
• An average of 51,948 members of staff were absent per day last week due to sickness or self-isolation, up from 50,322 the week before.
• Some 32.9% of ambulance handover delays took longer than 30 minutes, better than 42.3% during the same week last year.
• Around 12.1% of handover delays were longer than an hour, much lower than the 21.3% reported last year. 

Responding to the latest NHS England urgent and emergency care situation reports, Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said:

“Flu levels are again on the rise and this, coupled with increasing bed occupancy and delayed discharges, shows that there is still a long way to go before this difficult winter is over. Other seasonal viruses such as norovirus and Covid are also increasing alongside staff sickness levels.

“Despite these pressures, NHS leaders and frontline staff are working incredibly hard to manage demand and keep patients safe. The improvement in average ambulance handover times compared to last year is very welcome, meaning that vehicles are able to get back on the road more quickly. This is an incredible achievement given the figures include New Year’s Eve, one of the busiest nights of the year for ambulance crews.

“But the current cold snap that is bringing freezing temperatures, snow and ice to many parts of the UK comes as we enter what is traditionally the busiest weeks of the year for the NHS. So we are concerned that we will see pressures continue to mount over the coming weeks and this will to be a very difficult winter for the health service.”